Cover Model Q&A: Up close with Dona Fragnoli

Dona Fragnoli wants to help make a difference in people’s lives. A motivational/inspiration speaker and corporate trainer, Fragnoli started her own consulting business last year called The Pebble Effect. Its mantra? Inspiring ripples of change. (pebbleeffect.com). She also works with Balancing Life’s Issues, a national training company.

The 49-year-old went back to work after first staying home with their four children, now aged 16-29. Her husband, Kevin, is an airline pilot so that continuity was important.

While at home, Fragnoli did a lot of volunteer work, including speaking at a men’s prison, an event she calls “one of the highlights of my life.” It also helped influence the work she currently does for pay.

“I have the best job in the world,” she says. “I get to help people make a difference in their lives.” Change comes from within, she adds, but sometimes people need help seeing how to change. “I’m honored to provide direction to people.”

What’s your preferred form of exercise?

“I used to run but my knees are older than my heart,” she says. Now she’s a regular at the Schenectady YMCA where the variety of class options are a strong allure. Fragnoli is currently hooked on P-90X classes. “I like that it’s a challenge. The instructor can help you modify too. My knees needed help initially.”

What’s a favorite family activity?

“We laugh a lot.” Family meals usually last a long time, Fragnoli says. “It’s a great opportunity to be with everyone.” Sometimes, when the children were younger and everyone was home, Fragnoli would ask everyone to name three things for which they were grateful. “There would be teenage eye-rolling,” she recalls, “but then they can’t wait for their turn.” With four athletic children, the Fragnoli family also spent (and still spends) a fair amount of its time on the sidelines cheering. “You can over-extend but we were careful to manage that.”

What type of books do you like to read?

Crime thrillers and audiobooks top the list. “I read a Nora Roberts then and again,” she says. Fragnoli likes nonfiction, too, especially books that help her increase her skills. One of her favorites is What Happy People Know by Dan Baker.

Salty or Sweet?

Sweet. “I’m a crunchy cookie kind of gal. That’s why I exercise — so I can have a crunchy cookie.”

Guilty pleasure?

Stupid TV. “Not reality shows. I hate those.” And Words with Friends.

What’s on your bucket list?

Writing a book. Fragnoli even has a working title: “What’s Good?” The idea, she explains, is to take a problem and by shifting your perspective from what’s bad about it to what’s good, you can make yourself feel a little better. There’s more to it than that of course. But you’re going to have buy the book to find out.